As Bukowsky points out, humankind is marked by the distance we keep from one another, in other words, to function as tribal beings. We celebrate our differences: skin color, socio-economic standing, religious affiliation, etc., while ignoring the vastness of our commonalities.
Before Trump (and the other world fascists), it was possible to argue that these conditions were improving. I don’t think one can hold that position today.
Here’s another variation on the theme of converting the kinetic energy in ocean waves into electricity. Is it any better than what’s available now?
No. This device allows the waves to move a long series of conductors up and down in a magnetic field created by an equally long chain of permanent magnets. That’s expensive.
The best approach out there now converts the water’s energy into hydraulic pressure that is used to turn a turbine.
In any case, this discussion is of academic importance only, as the cost of solar and wind has made hydrokinetics in all its forms unfeasible.
The video below concerns the ruling from Judge David Carter that certain of the emails from Trump attorney John Eastman are not protected by attorney-client privilege because of the “crime-fraud exception.” That is, they discuss Trump’s commission of one or more crimes, in this case, perjury and conspiracy to defraud the United States, and will therefore be turned over to the January 6th Committee.
The most relevant of the emails is actually presented in the video here.
That ought to do it.
The author of the meme here makes a good point, and puts it poetically, to boot.
I’m struggling to find an abominable human characteristic that is not embodied in Trump: cruelty, greed, dishonesty, love of violence, vindictiveness, taking pride in one’s ignorance, demagoguery, and disloyalty to country.
A card-carrying sociopath.
All the news seems to be pointing in the same direction: those who orchestrated the attempt to overthrow the U.S. government following the 2020 presidential election are being brought to justice.
Yes, we are seeing that moneyed defendants can drag the process out over maddeningly long periods of time, but eventually they run out of rope.
Trump attorney John Eastman’s email revealed that Trump and Giuliani were well aware that there was no significant voter fraud in the election but brought dozens of lawsuits claiming otherwise.
The end is near.
Former GOP U.S. representative Joe Walsh is not timid about his deep antipathy for the party he left in disgust.
That’s all well and good, but is it “worse than you think?” I’m not sure how that’s possible.
The author of this article has gone to an enormous amount of effort to look through thousands of different midterm elections at the state and local level, and examine the impact that each one has with respect to climate change.
This may sound like an exercise in pedantry; after all, how much impact does some county government have on the CO2 levels in our Earth’s atmosphere?
Well, keep in mind things like:
Achieving supermajorities that can overturn vetoes from right-wing governors
State utility regulatory commissions
Building codes that aim at net-zero carbon targets
Decommissioning coal-fired power plants
New spending on public transit
Incentives for EVs
Restoring forests, grasslands, and wetlands
In all , this is a fascinating piece of reporting.
In fact, this nation has great reason to fear Christian nationalism. The word “Christian,” of course, has nothing to do with the teachings of Christ, and thus “Christian nationalism” should more properly be called “white male nationalism.”
There are several different problems associated with Christian nationalism, or whatever one wants to call it:
Racism and Sexism. This is the assertion of white male superiority and the systemic subjugation of non-whites, as well as Jews, Muslims, women, LGBTQs, etc.
Lawlessness and Violence. As we’re seeing in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, an entire party really couldn’t care less about the truth, and the lower end of these folks live for things like armed insurrection, thus the real possibility of a second Civil War.
Rejection of Science. Dealing with things like pandemics and environmental degradation becomes quite difficult in the presence of hateful morons.
The problem here is that, when it comes to the word “entitlement,” there is a difference between its denotation, i.e., the definition found in a dictionary, and a common connotation as it’s used in the United States. It literally means things to which people are entitled, e.g., a worker’s paycheck at the end of the work week. If Sheila cuts my hair, she is entitled to the fee posted on the wall of her salon. Similarly, people who paid into Social Security are entitled to its benefits, and thus the monthly payments that seniors receive are, by definition, entitlements.
An issue arises when people use the word to mean government programs that are not connected with the actual exchange with the citizenry. It’s common to say things like “We need to cut entitlements, such as free food and housing for the poor.”
Needless to say, politicians take full advantage of the equivocation, the use of a word with two different meanings.
Senior energy analyst Glenn Doty once told me that he believes the concept of “Mother Earth” is actually damaging at this point in our environmental decay, insofar as it implies a higher power that serves to limit the damage that humankind is inflicting on the planet.
He has an excellent point here, one that is heightened by adding religion into the mix. We have congresspeople who deny climate science on the basis of a line from the Book of Genesis: Only God can destroy the Earth.
That’s problematic, putting it kindly.
